Stapling machine



June 9, 1942.

' J. J. HARLEY STAPLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29. 1,940

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR B J.J.HA RLEY 1%2W12 ATTORNEY.

June 9, 1942. J. J. HARLE Y STAPLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR J. J. HARLEY %{a%ma/M ATTORNEY Patented June 9, 1942 STAPLING MACHINE Joseph J. Harley, Tenafly, N. J., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 29, 1940, Serial No. 321,369

4 Claims.

This invention relates to stapling machines and more particularly to a device in which the staple is driven by energy stored up in a com pressed spring bearing against a plunger having a staple driving blade attached thereto, which is released when the spring has been compressed a predetermined amount.

In devices of this general nature, for every downward stroke of the hammer or plunger and its associated blade, a staple is driven and as the hammer and blade are retracted just prior to the driving of another staple a staple is positioned underneath the driving blade ready to be driven. Thus it can be readily observed that for all types of wood or material each staple receives but one blow and where the character of the material is such that one blow will not sufiice, no provision is made for delivering an additional blow or blows to that particular staple.

Applicant, realizing the shortcomings of the present types of staple driving mechanisms, par- 1 ticularly when using them for securing telephone wires to walls, base-boards and the like, which are constructed from materials having varying degrees of hardness, has provided means, controlled by the operator of the tool, for delivering an additional blow or blows to the staple to drive it home when one blow will not suffice.

It is the object of the present invention to provide, in a staple driving mechanism, means controlled by the operator for delivering a plurality of blows to a staple to drive it home without feeding an additional staple.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the tool of this invention with a part of the casing broken away to show the staples and the staple feeding mechanism;

Fig.' 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section, with the plunger, driving blade and operating lever in their normal positions;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the plunger and driving blade retracted by means of the operating lever, and ready to be released to drive a staple;

Fig. 4 is an end view partly in section of Fig. 3 taken in the directions of the arrows on line 44;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the plunger and driving blade released and driving a staple;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 except that the plunger and driving blade are now in a position to deliver an additional blow to the staple previously driven without feeding another staple,

due to the fact that the plunger will be released before the driving blade clears the top edge of the staple which is bearing against the face of the blade, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the release control mechanism taken on line 'I-'I of Fig. 6.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the tool of this invention comprises a housing or casing I0, which is provided at its front or driving end with a tubular chamber II, having wing or flat parallel portions I2 extending rearwardly a short distance. Secured between the members [2 and extending toward the rear of the casing Ill, where it is firmly secured, is the handle I3. This handle is fixedly supported and is located directly beneath the operating lever I4 so that the fingers of theoperators hand may conveniently grip the handle while the palm of the hand engages the operating lever I4 to apply a downward force thereto.

Slidably mounted in the tubular chamber II of the housing ID, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5- and 6, is a spring-driven plunger I5 having a staple driving blade I6 located thereon and extending beyond the bottom edge thereof.

As shown in Fig. 4, the blade I6 is curved atits bottom edge to conform to the shape of the staple 34 and is maintained in alignment therewith, due to the fact that there is very little clearance between the tubular housing I I and the plunger I5 to which the blade I6 is secured.

Located in the top portion of the plunger I5 is a recess I1 in which one end of a coil spring I8 is positioned. The other end of the spring bears against the cap I9 which is held in place against the tension of the spring I8 by means of a pair of arms 20 and 2| which are secured to the casing II] by means of the rivets 22 and 23.

Located between the members I2 and pivotally mounted by means of the screw 24 is the rocker arm 25, one end of which is connected to a link member 28 which in turn is connected to the operating lever I4 by means of the screw 21. On the other end of the rocker arm 25 is a pawl or dog 28, one end of which is rotatably secured to the rocker arm 25 while the other end is provided with an extending portion 29 which engages the recess 30 in the side of the plunger I5 to raise said plunger when the spring controlled operating lever I4 is depressed, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6. The pawl 28 is provided, adjacent the extending portion 29, with a raised portion 3|, which actsas a cam to release the plunger I5 by causing the pawl 28 to be kicked out of the recess 30 when 3 'l engages the undersurface of the member 32.

l a The member 32, which is shown in detail in Fig. 7, is slidably mounted in apertures located lease of the plunger [5 can be varied at will as it is readily apparent that when the high part 3 3 of the member 32, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, is interposed in the path of the pawl 28, it will be kicked out of the recess sooner than when the lower portion 34 of the member 32 is interposed in its path, as shown in Fig. 3.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be ob-, served that the operating mechanism of this tool is in its normal position and ready to drive one of the staples 40 which are positioned in the staple driveway of the magazinein thertool and, are fed by means of a following member which is held in engagement with the last staple by means of the coiled spring tape 36 attached thereto, which causes, the first staple to bear against the face of the driving blade [6.

When the operating lever 14 is depressed due to the link 25, rocker arm 25 and the pawl 28, the plunger 15 anddriving blad It, are raised against the tension of the spring 18, thus permitting a. staple to be positioned directly under the driving blade l5 (see ,Figs. 3 and 4). Continued movement of the operating lever l4 causes thepawl 28 to become disengaged from the recess 30 due to the cam surface 3|, thereby permitting the plunger 15 and its associated driving blade IE to travel downward andstrike thestaple ill a smart blow, to drive it into the desired location, as showninFigs. 1 and 5. v V v i h .When thecharacter, of the material into which the staple ifl, is to be drivenis so hard that a single blow. will not sufiice, the member 32 is moved to its other position; that is, so that the high portion 33 is interposed, in the path of the pawl,28 (see Figs. 6 and '7 Thus, when the operating lever 14 is depressed and the plunger [5 and its associated driving blade it are raised, the plunger l5 will be released before the bottom of the drivingbladei 6 clears the top of the staple 40, thereby permittingany number of additional blows to be delivered without feeding a staple.

When, the, staple has been struck the required additional numberof blows and is driven home,

the member 32 is moved backto its normal positionas shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 and is ready to feed and drive the next staple.

v A pad of resilient material 31 is provided inside of the housing l l at the base of the plunger IE to absorb the shock of said plunger.

In order to facilitate the positioning and fastening of wires and the like, the bottom of the tool has been provided at its front and rear ends with suitable V-shaped bosses 38 forming a longitudinal wire receiving groove 39 in the bottom thereof. a

While applicant has shown and described the preferred form of his invention, it is understood that variations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and he is only limited by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a staple driving machine, a casing, a staple magazine therein, a plunger, a staple driving blade onsaid plunger, a spring for actuating said plunger, a seat for said spring connected to said casing, a chamber for said plunger and said spring in said casing, an operating lever pivoted in said casing adapted to raise said plunger and compress said spring upon the operation of said lever, and means in said casing in the path of said lever comprising a shiftable stepped bar whereby the time of release of said plunger and staple driving blade may be varied.

2,,In' a; staple driving machine, a casing, a staple magazine therein, a plunger, a staple driving blade secured to said plunger, a spring for actuatingsaid i alunger, a seat for said spring connected to said casing, a chamber for-"said plunger and said spring in saidcasing, an operating lever pivotedin said casing and adapted to raise said plunger and compress said spring upon the operation cr am lever, and'meens mounted in said casing in the path of s'aid'lever for caus ing the release of said plunger and staple-driw ing blade beforethebottom' of the staple'driving blade reaches the top of the next staple, said means comprising a shiftable stepped bar at right angles to thepath of travel of the lever.

3. In a staple driving machine, a casing, a

staple magazine therein, a'plunger, a staple driv-' ingblade secured to said' plunger, a spring for actuating said plunger, a seat for said spring connected to said casing, a chamber for said plunger and said spring said easing, an operating lever pivoted in said casing, a pawl in said casing con"-' nected to said lever and in engagement with said plunger for raising said plunger and compressing saidspring upon'the operationof said lever, and

means mounted in said casing in the path' of said pawl for varying the time of release of said plunger and said staple driving blade thereby permittihgan initial 'blow to feed and drive a' staple while the's'u'c'ceedin'g blows are delivered to the same staple; said means comprising a shiftable steppe'd'bar' located in the path of travel of said pavn and at right angles thereto;

4. In a staple driving mechanism, a casing; a staple magazine therein; a pair of bosses each having a longitudinal groove therein extending from the bottom of said magazine, a plunger, a staple driving blade securedto the bottom of said plunger, a spring for actuating said plunger, a seat for said spring connected to said casing, a chamber for said plunger'and said spring in said casing, an operating lever pivoted in said casing, a pawl in saidcasing' connected to said lever and in engagement with said plunger for raising said plunger and compressing said spring. upon the operationof 'sa'i'd lever, and a manually operated stepped barmountedin said casing in the path of said pawl for varying the time of release of weeps J; HARLEY. 

